Promise Me
by PhoenixTears13
Summary: One-shot. Sequal to "A Promise Made" When Ron and Ginny learn of an attack on Hermione Ron asks his younger sister to make a promise she can't keep.


Promise Me  
  
Granger At It Again  
  
Hermione Granger, sixth year Gryffindor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is at it again, writes Rita Skeeter of The Daily Prophet. Granger, who in her fourth year at Hogwarts met up with Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and "won him over" with her obvious "charm" is at it again, having finally taken Krum up on his offer to spend the summer with him in Bulgaria. Miss Granger, who was suspected to have brewed a Love Potion has been cleared of these charges as no sufficient evidence has been proven.   
Interestingly enough, Mr. and Mrs. Krum, Viktor's parents are away this summer at a convention in Romania; which leaves the question "What has Miss Granger been up to?" Niether Miss Granger, nor Mr. Krum have been seen out of the Bulgarian Quidditch Star's Mansion since Granger first appeared at his home in early June. No owls seem to have left the house except for one, almost every day to a certain Ronald Weasley, though no reply has come back. Is Hermione caught in another triangle?  
But how has Harry Potter taken it? Harry Potter, who has mysteriously dissapeared off the face of the earth was unavailable for comment. But, looking at Potter's heartache two years before, when Miss Granger was uncovered as the scarlet woman she is, it can be determined that Harry has withdrawn from the world to nurse a broken-heart. Even though Harry dated, for a small while Miss Cho Chang, girlfriend of the recently deceased Cedric Diggory, that relationship ended in tears, on Miss Chang's part, when she realized Harry's heart was set on Miss Granger. Hermione Granger, for a smart girl, you never do learn.  
  
Ron crumpled the Daily Prophet article in his hand and tossed it into the trash bin, angry at the words which had burned themselves into his brain. She had gone to Bulgaria. That invitation was at least two years old, he was sure she had gotten over Krum and yet she had gone to Bulgaria to visit her sweet, darling Vicky. And the worst part was that she hadn't even told him. Or that no one had bothered to tell him. What did they think he'd do? Floo to Bulgaria and drag her home? No, he wasn't that possessive, angry, yes, but not that possesive.  
He gave a small sigh and dug the article out of the bin. "No owls seem to have left the house except for one, almost every day to a certain Ronald Weasley, though no reply has come back." Ron gave a derisive snort, Hermione had written to him once all summer to say that she would be gone until term started back and it was true that he hadn't written back, but only because he knew not where to send Pig.  
"Rita Skeeter, you never do learn, do you?" He asked quietly, wondering vaugely if Hermione had seen if the article and, if so, what she planned to do about it.  
  
Three floors down, Ginny finished packing her trunk, pulled her hair into a ponytail and taking the steps two at a time, Ginny landed at the foot of the stairs and preceeded into the kitchen, straightening her skirt as she went, "Mum, I'm going for a walk." Ginny informed her mother and was surprised to find she was stopped.  
"I'm afraid I can't let you, Ginny." Molly said regretfully from her place at the kitchen table. She looked worn, a dramatic change from the perky mother who had served Ginny breakfast barely an hour ago. "Please go get Ron, dear." Molly requested, sending Ginny a silencing look.  
Ginny felt her heart sink; her mother was hardly ever unhappy, angry at times, yes, but unhappy, rarely. Molly Weasley was a very careful person, she chose her battles wisely and, unfortunately had lost a child in the process, but she overall lead a happy life. As long as Ginny could remember, her father had always been worn-out, woeful looking and downright dreadful to be around after working several shifts. Her mother, however, was always happy, at least whenever around her children. She tried not to let her inner struggles get in the way of her parenting and therefore provided a strong shield for her offspring. If Ginny's mother was acting the part of her father, then something horrible had happened; something related to the war.  
Ginny rushed quickly up the stairs, banging on the attic bedroom door and calling for her brother who appeared minutes later.  
"What?" He demanded, running one hand through his red hair and staring at her with wild eyes.   
"Mum wants us." Ginny replied, glancing down at the paper he held in his hand, "Is that a letter from Hermione?" She asked.  
"No." And the paper quickly dissapeared into Ron's pocket as he shut the door and followed her downstairs, "What does Mum want?"   
"I dunno." Ginny replied and fell silent as they entered the kitchen to find their mother staring off into the distance, a worried mist coating her normally glimmering blue eyes.   
"Mum, is it Harry?" Ginny asked, snapping her mother to reality and earning herself a small shake of the head before Molly motioned for her two youngest children to have a seat.   
"Bill came to visit us this morning, he had news from the Order." Ron sat a little straighter in his chair and Ginny tried not to loose her small breakfast. Bill had come by? Bill never came by, he was always too busy with Gringotts work, or Order business. And why would her mum be telling them this? Molly had always insisted they be kept in the dark about the uprising of You-Know-Who.  
"Ron, Ginny," It seemed as if these two names pained Molly, "Hermione was the target of a Death Eater attack-"  
"What!" Ron started, jumping out of his chair and staring at their mother, fear evident in the ridged status of his body. The article, the article Skeeter had written, the Death Eaters had found her. "Is she okay?" His fist clenched around the parchment in his pocket.  
"Ronald, sit down." Molly barked, "She is fine, a little shaken, but other than that, fine." Ginny let out the breath she had been holding in, "I'm telling you this because Hermione will need to be watched." Ron sat down. "She doesn't need to go long periods of time by herself." Ginny nodded, it made sense, both Ron and Ginny were well aware that Hogwarts wasn't as safe as it should be. If Death Eaters wanted in they could find a way in, perhaps not as easily as they would have liked, but there were ways.  
"Please, Ron, try your best not to fight with Hermione, I doubt she will let you know how much she was shaken by these events but I assure you, the scars are still there, if not evident." Ron nodded this time, promsing himself he'd try his hardest not to fight with her over the Bulgaria thing.   
"And Ginny, should Hermione and Ron fight," Here Ron received a very pointed look from his mother, "please try your hardest to make amends between the two. I also don't want the two of you looking for trouble, I know it seems to find you, but please be careful. I love you both and…" Molly's eyes began to fill with tears, "I…I don't know what I would do if I lost another child."   
Ginny stood up and walked around the table, embracing her mother in a hug, "We'll be careful, Mum. We promise." Ron nodded as he joined the hug. "We won't go looking for trouble and…" She trailed off, she wasn't going to promise her mother they wouldn't help Harry, as he would definiantly need helping. But, she couldn't very well say that. Fortunately, Ron said it for her.  
"Mum," Ron murmured, his voice slightly muffled by Molly's shoulder, "If Harry needs my help, I'm going to help him. He's my best friend, Mum."  
"I understand that Ron," Molly replied, wiping her eyes as both Ron and Ginny pulled back, "And if Harry needs your help, while I don't really want you out there, I wouldn't want Harry to have to go this alone."  
As the two were walking upstairs minutes later, Ron turned to Ginny and frowned before dragging her into his room and shutting the door.  
"Is there a reason I'm not allowed to go to my own room?" Ginny demanded, wrinkling her nose in annoyance.   
"Yes." Ron replied, running a hand through his hair in distraction and chucking the article once more in the reash bin, "I don't want you coming with us this year." Ginny frowned, that made no sense.  
"What?"  
"When it comes time for You-Know-Who, I don't want you coming." He clarified, "You're not Harry's best friend, you don't have any obligation."  
"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Ginny growled, "Because Ronald Gryffon," Ron winced, he hated his middle name, "Weasley, does not know the word 'obligation.'"  
"Gin, I'm serious, I don't want you coming. It's not fair for Mum to worry about two of us."  
"She's going to worry anyway!" She practically yelled, "She's Mum! It's her job to worry!"  
"C'mon, Ginny," Ron pleaded, "Harry's my best friend, Hermione and I have to do this, for Harry. But Mum doesn't need to loose two children in one fatal swoop."  
"So, you're telling me," Ginny began, anger filling her voice, "That because I'm not as close to Harry as you are, I can't help? I get to live? I have to sit back and keep myself from telling the teachers until the opportune moment?"  
"No, I'm saying…" He trailed off hopelessly, "I just don't want you to get hurt, Gin. Promise you won't go."  
Ginny stared at him for the longest moment before letting her eyes trail hopelessly around the room, grasping for something, anything that would make him understand.   
"No." She finally told him. "I will not promise." And her voice shook with repressed anger, "I'm not going to sit back and let Harry be killed if I can do something, anything to save him. Harry means as much to me as he does to you and I do anything for him, even pull a Lily Evans."  
It was only after Ginny slammed the door in his feeble protests that Ron realized what she had said. Pull a Lily Evans? What in the world did that mean?   
  



End file.
